How the Biggest Tech Trends Are Evolving in 2017

January 3, 2017

5:50 pm

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Every tech trend piece relies on a few buzzwords — the Internet of Things, Fintech, or blockchain, for instance. But over time, those terms become a little less relevant. Remember when we only listened to non-music audio on iPods? We still have’t come up with a better term for “podcasts.”

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Given that CES is this week, now seems like a great time to try redefining a few of the new year’s big tech concepts. Here’s a look at how two industry focuses are shifting in 2017.

“Internet of Things” Will Become “Intelligent Things”

The Internet of Things, or IoT, is a term that refers to internet-connected versions of daily household appliances like a smart fridge or a thermostat that connects to your smartphone. But reducing these improvements to their internet connection misses the biggest change coming up: AI.

The replacement term, “intelligent things,” aims to describe devices that rely on AI as well as an internet connection to improve the services they provide. But don’t take my word for it. Here’s what the research firm Gartner had to say about it:

“I believe that the smartest executives in 2017 will be more focused on making sense of the data they already have versus trying to capture more of it. The vast majority of organizations (88 percent by some accounts) don’t even share their own customer data between their own sales and marketing departments, so this is the real battleground.

Aim to find insights, behaviors and buying patterns in the data you have, rather than just trying to capture more leads and email addresses.”

This shift highlights the direction that all user engagement is going in 2017, from mobile to social media networks: Away from massive scale and towards a higher engagement with a specific, often niche community online.

Follow Our CES 2017 Coverage

Tech.Co is on the ground at CES 2017 in Las Vegas and we’re covering everything from new tech to innovative startups. Follow our coverage here and make sure to check out all the brand new gadgets hitting the market after the festivities have concluded.

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Adam is a writer with an interest in a variety of mediums, from podcasts to comic books to video essays to novels to blogging — too many, basically. He’s based out of Seattle, and remains a staunch defender of his state’s slogan: “sayWA.” In his spare time, he recommends articles about science fiction on Twitter, @AdamRRowe